1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sterilization method and apparatus and more particularly relates to cartridge-carriers for supporting containers, such as semi-rigid containers, having food or other products to be sterilized therein when within continuous sterilizing systems including conventional reel and spiral cookers and coolers as well as when within orbital sterilizer systems.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Agitating and non-agitating reel and spiral sterilizing systems which receive cylindrical containers within cartridges and carriers for preventing damage to glass containers or the like when moving through a sterilizing system are well known in the art. Assignee's Bell Patent No. 3,314,560 discloses a method and apparatus for unloading articles such as glass jars from encapsulation within a two-piece telescoping capsule which has moved through a reel and spiral sterilizing system.
Assignee's Croall et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,388,528 is similar to the Bell patent but different in that it discloses an apparatus for encapsulating and loading cylindrical glass containers within capsules.
Assignee's Peck Patent No. 3,511,168 discloses conventional reel and spiral processing systems which may be agitating, or non-agitating systems that progressively move encapsulated containers, such as glass jars, through the processing system.
Orbital rotary sterilizers are well known in the art and are disclosed in Assignee's Reimers Patent No. 3,544,341 and include a housing having a reel and spiral therein but differ from conventional reel and spiral sterilizers in that the spiral is stationary when it is desired to receive containers, advance the containers longitudinally of the axis of the reel, and thereafter discharge the containers from the housing. However, after first filling the housing with a batch of containers, the spiral is detached from the housing and is attached to the reel thereby allowing the containers to be rotated about the axis of the sterilizer for agitating the product therein while being cooked, sterilized and thereafter cooled.